Leia Chang
Leia Chang is a former student of Degrassi Community School. She transferred to Degrassi during her junior year from ballet school. She is good friends with Anya MacPherson and Chantay Black. She was portrayed by Judy Jiao. Character History Season 8 In''' Uptown Girl (1), Leia is new to Degrassi and introduces herself to Mia, as what Holly J. calls her, "An unwelcome addition to Degrassi." She and Mia become fast friends, and she tells Mia that Danny seems to have a big crush on her. In '''Uptown Girl (2), Leia is invited to one of Tom Blake's parties that Mia is attending, but gets very uncomfortable when drinking is involved, and Mia kisses a random woman and Tom Blake. She leaves, saying it is not her scene, which irritates Mia. She later finds out from Mia herself that she slept with Tom Blake in order to get a modelling gig, which she finds disgusting. Mia tells her to shut up and that nobody will believe her. She ends up telling Danny, who ends his brief romance he had with Mia. In Didn't We Almost Have It All, Leia is seen talking to Derek in art class. In Money for Nothing, Leia sees Holly J. eating lunch in the bathroom, and jokes, saying, "You're not bulimic are you?" Holly J. snaps at Leia, and says she does not have time for her mindless chatter, causing Leia to leave. Holly J. later apologizes to Leia and confesses she is sick of the Mia hype going around. Leia reveals to Holly J. what Mia did to get the job and Holly J. tells it to a reporter doing a story on Mia where the secret is revealed on live TV which results in Holly J. getting kicked off of the Power Squad. In Lost In Love, she is seen dancing with Sav Bhandari, which makes Anya jealous. In Bad Medicine, Danny hooks Derek and Leia up after Derek tells him that he likes her. Danny asks Leia about giving Derek a chance and she says yes, but only if he interrupts their date to save her. Danny agrees, but also realizes that he likes her, but betraying Derek wouldn't feel right. He is also caught with the idea that Leia likes Derek after seeing them on their date, which coincidentally Derek and Leia were talking about Danny. Danny is then caught by Derek watching and staring at Leia while she ballet dances in the gym. For this reason, Derek gives Danny permission to go after Leia, knowing that he secretly likes her. Danny and Leia then discuss what happen, and share a kiss. In Jane Says (1), Leia feels as if she doesn't fit in with Danny's friends. When trying to be pushy and get in with them, she gets invited to a sleepover at Peter's with Danny and all of his friends. While at the party/sleepover, Leia gets very shy and closed up, causing her to come off as boring. While playi ng truth or dare, Leia feels as if she will have to lie about herself. Leia sees a book with an ad for a "Fall Out Boy Concert" and lies, saying that she knows Pete Wentz personally. Her dad, a musical producer/director (not really), is their producer and they used to sing her lullabies. Everyone is impressed except Peter, who seems skeptical. Later, Peter takes Danny in the back and tells him that Leia is clearly lying, not believing that Leia knows Fall Out Boy. Later on, Danny asks Leia about getting them tickets to a concert, and she says she could. They go all the way over to the concert and Leia tries to lie her way into getting free passes into the concert from the bouncer, saying her dad is a famous record producer. The bouncer laughs at her, telling them to get lost. She is caught in the lie and everyone leaves, angry at her. Leia and Danny are later seen eating at The Dot. Danny tells her he doesn't understand why she lied to all of them. She confesses to him about how she does not make friends easily. Danny tells her that people would truly like her for who she is, she doesn't have to change or lie for people, and then that he likes her a lot. Leia apologizes, and says that one thing that isn't a lie is that she really likes Danny. In Danger Zone, she is seen dancing with Danny at the school dance. They seem to be having fun, because Leia is laughing and having a good time. She is also clapping for Holly J. when she walks in the room, implying that she knew what Holly J. is a hero due to the Hostage Situation at The Dot. Season 9 In Just Can't Get Enough, Leia is seen in the premiere hugging Danny after his band's performance. She dances with the crowd of the people while the Studz performs. In Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Leia seems to be friends with Holly J. now because Holly J. asks Leia to go shopping with her and Anya. She doesn't go because she already made plans with Danny. In Beat It (1), she and Anya seem to be good friends. She is in on the secret that Anya is keeping from Sav about about LARPing. She complains to Anya that she doesn't always want to go to the "Jane and the Studz" practice. Anya tells her that they should LARP while Sav and Danny are at practice, and Leia feels that it's a brilliant idea. Anya tells her about Bolregaurde and her position as princess. Leia goes with Anya and discovers her love for LARPing. When they get there, Leia is nervous to see their art teacher as the LARPer. Anya tells her that there is no need to worry as she is a cool teacher. In Beat It (2), Leia continues to LARP with Anya. When her and Anya were looking at the pictures from of themselves LARPing, they are laughing. Sav walks in and sees them. Leia walks away because she doesn't want to get in their mess. Towards the end of the episode, Leia attends Anya's LARP wedding. In Waiting For A Girl Like You, Leia feels that Danny doesn't really care about her anymore and he is slipping away before her eyes. In the morning before school starts, Leia starts to talk to Danny, but he ignores her to study. After class, she goes to the bathroom and sees Chantay. She discusses her problems with Danny and asks Chantay for some advice on how to get Danny to like her again. Chantay tells her that according to "Sizzle Magazine", if you want your boyfriend to come crawling back to you, you should try breaking up with him and wait for him to come back. Leia is nervous and asks Chantay if she should do it. Chantay tells her she has no experience with the matter, so she does not know. Leia eventually tries the plan that Chantay gave her and broke up with Danny. Danny later asks Chantay out on a homework date, and Danny tells her Leia broke up him that morning. Leia is angry at Chantay, saying that Danny seems happier then ever,and she didn't realize what she had until she lost Him. She tells Chantay it was her idea and she has to fix it. That night at the dot, Chantay explains the dilemma about Leia to Danny and tells her that she feels really bad. Danny tells her that she has to talk to Leia, and Leia arrives at the Dot to talk to Danny. In the end, the two conclude that they won't continue their relationship. In Somebody, she talks with Holly J. and Jane about babysitting. Leia tells that she can't make it because she has plans. Holly J. is angered by this because she is forced to babysit due to Leia's absence. In Innocent When You Dream, Leia and Anya continue they're LARPing hobby. She is talking about LARPing with Anya in homeroom. When Anya and Sav are talking about what they did since their recent breakup, Leia sort of interrupts by sharing a text with Anya. Leia explains the text, as "...Wants us to help them slay a dragon in the larping world." Leia and Anya seem sort of excited for this experience. Season 10 In My Body Is A Cage (1), Leia greets Anya, who is late for class. Anya is upset that her and Leia aren't assigned as partners. Leia says that her and Heather Poulette were assigned partners and that today she smells like sausage. Later after school, Leia goes over to Anya's house and they find Anya's mom's wedding ring on the table. Leia watches her friend panic over her mother not answering her phone and the left-behind wedding ring. Leia tells Anya that the signs she read in "Sizzle Teen Magazine" that not wearing your wedding ring, not answering your cell, being quiet at home, coming home late, faking sick and acting funny are signs of an affair. Anya is surprised and upset. Later, Anya tells her mom that Leia thought she was having an affair when she really left to have a MRI. I n My Body Is A Cage (2), Leia and Anya are sitting in an empty classroom. Leia learns that Anya's mom has a very specific type of cancer. She asks Anya if it is noticeable, as her aunt didn't seem to have cancer, but did. She tells her how she went through chemo and she lost all of her hair, later regaining it & that she got better after chemo but recently died. Anya looks even more worried and Holly J. walks in, interrupting them. Leia leaves the room and does not appear again. This was her final appearance in the show. Appearances Trivia *Leia is the first regular character of East Asian descent to appear on the show. *She is a ballet dancer. *Leia's character was originally supposed to be a recurring character until the end of the first half of season 11, but her portrayer left to go to college at Harvard in early season 10. *She and Anya are the only two characters in Degrassi history to LARP (Live Action Role Play). *Leia's original last name was Bince. This surname was previously used for the science teacher Mr. Bince. *Leia was originally supposed to be dominant, gossipy, and a pathological liar. Jiao, on the other hand, came on set timid and inexperienced, so the writers made Leia’s insecure side more visible to better fit her personality. However, she was still a pathological liar, as was seen in Jane Says (1). *Leia and Kelly Ashoona were the only regular characters introduced in season 8 to not have a freeze frame. *In Jane Says (1), she claimed to have watched four seasons of Lost in order to get closer to Danny. However, it is unlikely that she actually did because she said this when she began lying to fit in and she did not know about the others. *Her father David Chang is an engineer. Quotes First Line: (8.01: Uptown Girl, Part 1) "Being on time would have helped,but not with that psycho witch in charge!" Final Line: (10.16: My Body is a Cage, Part 2) "No, uh, we were just talking about stuff. Um, I gotta go guys. Bye." *"They used to sing me songs to help me get to sleep." *"You're like a bad cliché." *"How far will you go to impress?" *"After years at ballet school, a friend who eats would be nice!" *"I'm crowning you the king of mixed signals." *"Get this! Chris wants us to slay a LARP dragon mid-invasion!" *"One upside about you two breaking up...Anya makes a great study partner." *"Bridesmaid! Called it!" *"Oh my God, the signs are all there. Faking sick, leaving her wedding ring at home. Anya, your mom is having an affair." Relationships *Danny Van Zandt **Start Up: Bad Medicine (810) **Break Up: Waiting for a Girl Like You (909) ***Reason: Leia thought Danny didn't like her anymore, so she took Chantay's advice to break up with him, hoping he would come back to her. Instead, he went for Chantay. Interaction Category:Degrassi: TNG characters Category:Season 8 Category:Season 9 Category:Season 10 Category:Degrassi Category:Female Characters Category:Degrassi Characters Category:Degrassi Teens Category:Degrassi: The Next Generation Category:Degrassi: TNG teens Category:Main Characters Category:Alumni